The best scope I have ever used. My last scope was a CGE 14" sct. It doesn't compare, period.I bought this SM second hand and the previous owner did pretty much everything one can do. 1/32 wave secondary, cooling fans, baffles, much more. But you don't need these upgrades to have 18 and 20 in. dob owners scratching their heads. Or 6 in. apo owners crying.If anyone here is looking at getting one. Do it. Sell a car, or a kidney, whatever. Just get one.

An overall excellent scope. The design is well thought out and the woodwork is excellent. The removable mirror cell makes handling the scope much easier than I expected. Despite being re-assembled every time I use it, collimation is usually very close to perfect, and requires only minor tweaking.

With the addition of the Sky Commander DSCs and the Sky Tracker motors, the scope has a reliable and easy to use GOTO and tracking system.

The Zambuto mirror is near-perfect, your biggest limitation will almost always be seeing conditions.

This is the largest size that allows you to observe at the zenith with your feet on the ground, and packs nicely into the back of a compact wagon.

This is my THIRD 14.5" Zambuto/Starmaster. I have been up and down the "ladder" with Rick Singmaster's scope from the 7" ZOC/Oak Classic to a 24" ZOC/Starmaster. Having owned 16 Starmasters, I can say that for size/performance, the 14.5" f/4.3 is very hard to beat. With assistive optics becoming more prominent (i.e. image intensifiers, astrovideo cameras, ccd), this "little" scope is prepared to do it all. And, when you want to just visually observe, you can do it all night flat-footed provided you are 5'7" or taller. What more could you ask of a scope? Highly recommended.

I've been a serious observer for 33 years, and have 20/12 vision. Having used dozens of telescopes of all types, I feel I can discriminate between the "very good" and the "excellent." The Starmaster 14.5" is excellent. I've owned mine for 2 years and am still surprised by its performance. Holds collimation well (though you need to become good at it), easy to transport, Sky Commander is simple and effective, Zambuto mirror is all that you've heard.Here's what I've been able to personally see in the Starmaster that I had never seen before:* Ceres as a distinct disk* Both Diemos and Phobos* The Horsehead* Central Star in the Ring* Green companion of Antares* 0.5" binariesBrian

had the chance to view m-57 with this scope at a star party, the view was very nice and excellent detail was visible. it made me want to purchase one. very nice scope and the owner had nothing bad to say about it.

The scope is excellent! Good quality construction and materials. Quality componets. Zambuto mirror, and a removable mirror cell. Optics and contrast excellent. Can see great planetary detail when the seeing permits. Good movement and feel no backlash. This scope keeps me from imaging since I enjoy using it so much. I suggest that you allow Rick to mount the encoders for you if you get DSCs. Anyway great scope!

Great scope and optics. Mine is easy to colimate and maintains through out the night. The black paint chips off but is easily fixed and anyway, who cares? Newer modles have rubberized stuff on poles that won't chip. I have had it for 2.5 years and it is the best single scope portability vs apertue I have ever owned. There are scopes with more aperture but none that allow me to observe without a ladder!

Scope is very easy to assemble. Unit with GoTo/Track works very well, putting objects within the fov of a 22mm Nagler, and tracking is excellent. Electrical slewing is very smooth. Removable mirror cell, so heaviest component is around 35 lbs. Very easiy to collimate with Tectron tools. Star test appears better than 1/8 wave, which is my eyes' evaluation limit. Tight star images and excellent contrast.

I have had this scope for over 2.5 years and have NO complaints. The Zambuto mirror produces images that are stunning when seeing permits. Star test is near perfect inside and outside of focus. Rick Singmaster's service is second to none. I once emailed him about a possible astigmatism problem and he CALLED me 30 minutes after I sent the email. It turned out the astigmatism was in my eyes which a new eyeglass prescription promptly fixed. Construction is excellent and I have not had to perform any paint touch-ups. These scopes are balanced for the heavier Televue eyepieces and at f/4.5 you WILL need the Paracorr. BTW -- if you purchase one of Rick's scopes get the wheelbarrow handles - they are indispensable! I will go to my grave owning this scope.